President Jokowi officially inaugurated Bambang Susantono as Head of the Nusantara City, and Dhony Rahajoe as Deputy Head of the Nusantara City at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, March 10, 2022.
Prior to the inauguration, President Jokowi had already mentioned the names of some candidates for the positions, such as former governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama; and former head of Banyuwangi District, Abdullah Azwar Anas; former research and technology minister, Bambang Brodjonegoro; former president director of Wijaya Karya (WIKA), Tumiyana; and current Governor of West Java, Ridwan Kamil.
President Jokowi hinted that he would choose a "non-party" person as the Head of Nusantara City.
It was then revealed in Presidential Decree Number 9 M of 2022 regarding the Appointment of the Head and Deputy Head of the State Capital, which listed Bambang Susantono and Dhony Rahajoe. The Presidential Decree was enacted on March 9, 2022.
As stipulated in Article 10, Paragraph 1 of Law No. 3 of 2022 regarding the State Capital, the election of the Head and Deputy Head of the capital city is different from other regional head election mechanisms.
Article 10, Paragraph 3 of the law explains that the leaders are appointed and dismissed directly by the president after consulting with the House of Representatives.
They hold office for a period of five years from the date of inauguration and can be reappointed for the same term of office and could be dismissed any time by the president before the term of office ends.
Made to succeed
Susantono, in his speech as Head of the Nusantara City, expressed his resolve to lead his new institution towards success.
Susantono spoke of having held discussions with President Jokowi regarding the capital city. He stated that the president was keen that the city serve as a token of new civilization, or in his words, "a global city."
Although he wished for work on the city to be completed immediately, he admitted that it took 15 to 20 years to fully form a city with characteristics, or "soul." He was also eager to build the social aspects apart from its infrastructures in accordance with the president's requests or directives.
Nusantara, which will replace Jakarta as the capital city, will become an inclusive, green, and smart city, which is meant for everyone, he affirmed.
Reason for selection
President Jokowi immediately introduced the new leaders to the ministers of the Indonesia Onwards Cabinet during a meeting at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.
Attendees at the meeting comprised Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa, and Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian.
Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency Sofyan Djalil, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, State Secretary Minister Pratikno, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung were also present at the meeting.
The president affirmed that Susantono and Rahajoe were a good combination.
President Jokowi stated that Susantono had a master's and doctoral degree as well as had experience in the areas of transportation and finance.
Meanwhile, Rahajoe had extensive experience in the property sector.
He expects the two to coordinate with the ministers of the Indonesia Onwards Cabinet regarding the city's development.
He expects several investors to be drawn under their leadership.
Prior to being Head of Nusantara City, Susantono served as the Deputy President of Management and Sustainable Development at Asia Development Bank since July 2015 in Manila, the Philippines.
He was Deputy Minister of Transportation in 2009-2014 and Deputy for the Coordinating Minister for the Economy for Infrastructure Coordination and Regional Development in 2007-2010.
He graduated from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in 1987, majoring in Civil Engineering. He had once worked as a civil servant in the Department of Public Works.
Susantono earned a master's degree in urban planning from the University of California, Berkeley in 1996 and a master's in transportation from the same university in 1998. He then received his doctorate in infrastructure planning from the University of California.
He admitted to having received confirmation that he would be sworn in as Head of the Nusantara City two weeks ago.
Susantono noted that in the near future, he would immediately cooperate with ministries and agencies that have been planning and initiating the capital city's development, such as the National Development Planning Ministry, which has conducted studies on the capital city since 2017, and the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry.
On the other hand, Rahajoe will resign from all positions he holds in Sinar Mas Land for the president's bidding.
He admitted to have been contacted by State Secretary Minister Pratikno a week after President Jokowi visited the Green Office Park area in Bumi Serpong Damai City, South Tangerang, on December 21, 2021.
However, only on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, did he receive an order to become Deputy Head of the Nusantara City.
On December 24, 2021, the president visited the Green Office Park area, BSD City, regarding the government's plan for the capital city's development project in East Kalimantan.
During the visit, he provided updates to the president about the development of the BSD City area through multimedia screens and city mock-ups.
President Jokowi was reportedly quite interested in the "green" concept employed by BSD City, which puts sustainable development first and foremost in its operational activities, such as low carbon emissions, energy saving, water resource management, green waste management, and less plastic.
Homework from the president
President Jokowi tasked Susantono and Rahajoe with the handling of five aspects: institutions, land, spatial planning, regulations, and secretariat.
First, the land issue must be resolved with Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil to facilitate an immediate settlement on the status of the capital city's land.
The president called for land acquisition in the capital city area to be transferred to agencies that require land for development.
"Also identify and verify land that may still be owned or controlled by the company or by the community," the president remarked.
The second task is to stop the issuance and transfer of land rights in the capital city area.
Third, accelerate the release of the capital city's forest areas, especially those located in the core government area.
Fourth, finalize derivative rules from Law Number 3 of 2022 on the Capital City, which is targeted for completion in March 2022. The law mandates the creation of three government regulations, five presidential regulations, one presidential decree (keppres), and one regulation from the head of capital city as the implementing regulations.
Fifth, the two must start forming the secretariat of the capital city authority as a force that assists their tasks, both based in Jakarta and Balikpapan.
He expects that the local community could be involved as deputies in this secretariat, so as to be inclusive.
President Jokowi also urged the Nusantara leaders to convince people that Jakarta would not be abandoned despite no longer holding the title of capital city. He also urged them to inform every one of the reasons for the authority transfer and development of new capital city.
Susantono revealed that President Jokowi had specifically urged him to focus on more than just the physical or infrastructure aspects of the development.
According to Susantono, the president is keen that the city becomes a catalyst for finding answers to issues that Indonesia will face in the future.
Challenge
With the magnitude of such tasks and responsibilities, there are indeed several challenges that lie ahead.
One of the issues voiced by the Corruption Eradication Commission was the alleged distribution of capital city plots.
The commission conducted a meeting with the East Kalimantan regional government and the Development and Finance Supervisory Agency regarding this matter. Meanwhile, the National Police is also mapping and identifying problems in the city's development.
Building a new capital city is indeed a near-impossible task. It takes strong determination and the right strategy to ensure that the city and its inhabitants live up to their best.
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Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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